KEY STEPS

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation,
sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries
(REDD-plus)

Background

According to the FAO (2005), deforestation, mainly conversion of forests to agricultural land,
continues at an alarming rate of approximately 13 million hectares per year (for the period
1990–2005). Deforestation results in immediate release of the carbon originally stored in
the trees as CO2 emissions (with small amounts of CO and CH4), particularly if
the trees are burned and the slower release of emissions from the decay of organic matter. The
IPCC WGIII (2007) estimated emissions from deforestation in the 1990s to be at
5.8 GtCO2/yr. The IPCC also notes that reducing and/or preventing deforestation
is the mitigation option with the largest and most immediate carbon stock impact in the short term
per hectare and per year globally as the release of carbon as emissions into the atmosphere is
prevented.

The agenda item on “Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and
approaches to stimulate action” was first introduced into the COP agenda at its eleventh
session in Montreal (December 2005). The governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica,
supported by 8 other Parties, through their submission FCCC/CP/2005/MISC.1,
requested for this issue to be taken up on the agenda. This proposal received wide support from
Parties and there was general agreement on the importance of the issue in the context of climate
change mitigation, particularly in light of the large contribution of emissions from deforestation in
developing countries to global greenhouse gas emissions. The COP established a contact group on
this item which drafted conclusions on initiating a process to address the issue of reducing
emissions from deforestation.

Since
its twenty-fourth session in May 2006 the SBSTA has continued
its consideration of the methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from
deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests
and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.

The Conference of the Parties (COP), at its eighteenth session, decided to undertake a work programme
on results-based finance in 2013 to progress the full implementation of the activities referred to in
decision
1/CP.16, paragraph 70.

COP 19 concluded the work programme and adopted decision
9/CP.19, entitled “Work programme on results-based finance to progress the full
implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70”.

Expert Meeting on the Information Hub for REDD-plus results and payments

An expert meeting on matters relating to the information hub on the results of the activities
referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 20, and corresponding results-based payments was held on
2-3 September 2014 in Bonn, Germany.

SBI 41 took note of the information contained in the report on the expert meeting on matters relating
to the information hub (contained in FCCC/SBI/2014/INF.13) and requested the secretariat to establish the information hub.

COP 20 agreed to name the information hub as the Lima Information Hub for REDD-plus.

Coordination of Support (SBSTA/SBI)

The COP in its
decision 1/CP.18, paragraphs 34–38, requested the SBSTA and the SBI, at their thirty-eighth
sessions, to jointly initiate a process with the aim of addressing the following matters:

COP 19 concluded consideration of this joint work and adopted decision
10/CP.19, entitled “Coordination of support for the implementation of activities in
relation to mitigation actions in the forest sector by developing countries, including institutional
arrangements”.

The COP has invited Parties, relevant organizations and stakeholders to support ongoing efforts,
capacity building, demonstration activities and mobilization of resources relating to reducing
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries and to share the outcomes
of these efforts with the SBSTA by providing corresponding information to the secretariat. In
decision
2/CP.13 the COP also requested the secretariat to develop a web platform where this
information will be made available. The REDD Web Platform can be accessed through the following
link:REDD Web
Platform

The COP through its decisions agreed to make available on this platform information and reports
relating to REDD-plus implementation, including submissions from Parties on proposed forest reference
emission levels and/or forest reference levels.

The REDD interactive discussion forum was developed following a request from SBSTA 32 to enhance
sharing of information, experiences and lessons learned on the use of the IPCC guidance and
guidelines. All experts interested to participate in such discussions are welcome to register through
the following link:REDD Discussion Forum

Latest documents: Views on experiences and lessons
learned from the development of systems for providing information on how all the safeguards are being
addressed and respected and the challenges faced in developing such systems. (FCCC/SBSTA/2014/MISC.6 and
Add.1)

Views on types of information from systems for providing information on how the safeguards are being
addressed and respected and that may be provided by developing country Parties. (FCCC/SBSTA/2014/MISC.7 and
Add.1)